Mysterious rings found on the ice of Lake Baikal. lake baikal
Baikal is unique. The water reserve in the lake is enough to provide for all mankind for five years fresh water. Scientists are constantly exploring Baikal, but it still keeps its secrets.
What is "Baikal"?
Until the 17th century, the Russians did not call Baikal Baikal, but called it Lamu, which is translated from the Evenki language as "sea", then they called the lake in the Buryat manner "Baigal". "G" later turned into the more familiar "K" for the Russian ear.
To this day, there are many versions about why Baikal is called that. According to one - the name is formed from the Buryat words "bay" and "gal" (to stand, fire), since according to the Buryat legend, Baikal was formed on the site fiery mountain. There are several more versions of the Buryat origin, however, some philologists raise the name to the Yakut language (baai - "rich" and kyul "lake") or baykhal (lake). There is even a version that "Baikal" comes from the Arabic Bahr-al-Baq, which means "the sea that gives birth to many tears", or "the sea of horror".
Lake age
Baikal is truly mysterious. Even in such an important issue as age, scientists still cannot decide. According to the main version, Baikal is very ancient lake, and its age ranges from 25 to 30 million years. If so, then Baikal is truly unique, since most of the ancient glacial lakes They "live" no longer than 10-14 thousand years, after which they are filled with silty residues and swampy.
IN last years when research began to be carried out on Baikal with the help of deep-sea vehicles"Mir", other hypotheses began to appear. Thus, the hypothesis of Alexander Tatarinov, an employee of the Geological Institute of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, has become widely discussed. He was surprised that no changes were observed at the bottom of Lake Baikal rocks, they have not changed for millions of years, while long time leads to their oxidation and decomposition in water. He suggested that Baikal, on the contrary, is a young lake, and its age is no more than 8-10 thousand years. The scientist suggested that the deposits that had previously been used to explain the antiquity of the lake could have been formed quite quickly (in geological terms of time) under the influence of mud volcanoes, which are abundantly present at the bottom of the lake and were first discovered in 1966.
Ice circles
For the first time, giant rings on the ice of Lake Baikal were discovered in 1999, but this does not mean that they did not appear there before. It's just that the size of these rings is so large that it is impossible to see them from the surface of the lake and even from the high Baikal mountains. After the first discovery of the rings by Russian scientists, daily space monitoring of the lake's surface was agreed. Since then, it has been established that such rings do not appear on Baikal every year. They were seen in different places lakes in 2003, 2005, 2008 and 2009.
As soon as information about the presence of rings on ice became available to people, the most fantastic versions of their origin began to appear. Of course, there was also a version about aliens. Scientists, of course, are more skeptical. According to the presumed version, the rings are formed from methane emissions from the sedimentary rocks of the lake. Baikal is located in the Baikal rift zone, which is characterized by increased seismic and thermal activity. This can cause intense gas formation. In summer it can be seen by bubbles on the surface, in winter - by thawed patches on the ice.
However, no matter how attractive and reasoned the methane version of the origin of the rings may be, it does not explain the titanic size of these formations. Presumably, such dimensions are caused by circular currents formed from methane emissions, but this is only a version. So far, the rings on the Baikal ice remain another unsolved mystery of the sacred lake.
glowing water
glow Baikal water was discovered by Viktor Dobrynin, a leading researcher at the Institute of Physics and Technology at ISTU, back in 1982. then he was just beginning his scientific career at the Research Institute of Applied Physics of ISU. Since that time, many years have passed and now scientists have returned to their research. Measurements of water samples at different depths and in different places of the lake showed that the intensity of the glow of Baikal water decreases with depth, and the range of change from the surface to the bottom reaches 100 or more times. The level of glow in the same place may vary. At the deepest station near Olkhon Island, the researchers recorded the minimum level of luminescence - 100 photons per square centimeter per second.
Interestingly, monitoring shows a decrease in the glow from November to mid-January, after which the water begins to "gain" the glow again. According to Viktor Bogdanov - from January 19, from Epiphany. For scientists, the analysis of these processes is very important, since it can be used to predict changes in the ecological situation.
However, observations-observations, but scientists still do not know the reason for the glow of Baikal water. While they are only at the very beginning of solving this mystery.
Walls
People still like to build walls today, but the fanaticism with which the natives of Baikal erected the walls, inexplicable to this day, is truly surprising. Along the entire perimeter of Lake Baikal, tourists and scientific expeditions still find many walls, the purpose of which is unclear. There are quite understandable fortifications on the capes of the lake, there are also walls that were built to protect sacred territories, but it is not easy to explain the purpose of many stone walls deep in the taiga. For their construction, people carried stones for tens of kilometers. The question remains open - why?
Obviously, not all discovered walls can be classified as defensive. The walls near Baikal differ not only in purpose, but also in age. Unfortunately, it is very difficult for archaeologists to determine the exact dates of the erection of these structures, since the dry stonework does not contain organic components suitable for radiocarbon or thermoluminescent analysis.
In historical science, it is customary to attribute the construction of these walls to the Kurumchi culture of the 5th–10th centuries. But these walls can be both younger and much older.
Satellite images of Lake Baikal show ring structures on the ice. On satellite images Baikal on spring ice sometimes you can see dark rings with a diameter of 5-7 km. For the first time such a ring was seen on a satellite image taken in April 1999. The ring was located opposite Cape Krestovsky (not far from the village of Buguldeyka). The next time a similar ice phenomenon was recorded at the same place in April 2003, and then in April 2005. In 2004, 2006 and 2007, there were no ring formations on the Baikal ice. And in 2008, the rings appeared already in two places: again in the area of Cape Krestovsky (with some shift to the south-west from the location of the ring in 1999, 2003 and 2005) and, for the first time, in the area of the village of Turka. In 2009, two rings were again recorded in new places: to the west of Cape Nizhneye Izgolovye of the Svyatoy Nos Peninsula and in the southern tip of Lake Baikal. 
Below is a selection of survey satellite images, which most clearly show the ring ice phenomena on Baikal. April 18, 1999. Area of Cape Krestovsky 
April 20, 2003. Area of Cape Krestovsky 
April 24, 2005. Area of Cape Krestovsky 
April 22, 2008. The area of Cape Krestovsky and the village of Turka 
April 24, 2009. Southern tip of Lake Baikal 
April 15, 2009 
April 20, 2009. Southern tip of Lake Baikal 
April 24, 2009 
The causes and mechanism of the formation of ring ice phenomena are not currently studied in detail. Presumably, the formation of circles is associated with emissions of natural combustible gas (methane) from many kilometers of sedimentary strata of the bottom of Lake Baikal. It is known that in some parts of the water area natural gas seeps from the bottom occur constantly. In summer, in such places, bubbles rise from the depths to the surface, and in winter, “steams” form from half a meter to hundreds of meters in diameter, where the ice is very thin or completely absent. But gigantic dark rings on the ice of Lake Baikal are formed when natural gas is released in an abnormally large volume. Probably, such emissions are associated with seismic activity and tectonic movements in the Baikal rift system. The formation of dark rings on the ice surface presumably occurs as follows. Rising from the bottom of Lake Baikal, natural gas provokes an ascending water flow, which in the process of ascent is twisted by the Coriolis forces caused by the rotation of the Earth (similarly to how cyclones and anticyclones form in the atmosphere). As a result, a circular relatively warm current is formed in the near-surface layer of water under the ice, which gradually destroys the ice cover from below. The melted ice is saturated with water, and a dark ring appears on the surface of the ice. Subsequently, within the circle formed, the ice melts faster than in nearby parts of the water area. Most likely, such anomalous emissions of natural gas have always occurred on Baikal, and such rings on ice are not a new phenomenon for Baikal. But, due to its huge size, it is almost impossible to see the ring from the ice and even from the mountain. Therefore, they began to be noticed only recently, when, on orders from the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources, daily space monitoring of the Baikal natural area. It should be noted that in 2009, in the area of Cape Nizhneye Izgolovye of the Svyatoi Nos Peninsula, the annular ice formation was the most anomalous for the entire ten-year observation period. This is probably due to the activation of geological processes in the area. On April 24, 2009, in the ice cover, which is usually about 1 meter thick in this area in March-April, a round polynya with an area of 35 square kilometers was formed (according to satellite imagery by the SPOT satellite, spatial resolution of 10 meters). For comparison, the area of the largest "stationary" polynya from steam, which was recorded at the same time in the Barguzinsky and Chivyrkuisky bays, is no more than 0.1 square kilometers. The study of ring ice phenomena at Baikal is of considerable scientific interest. It is necessary to study in detail the factors and mechanism of formation of rings, as well as the relationship of ongoing processes with seismic and tectonic activity. The scale and intensity of the manifestation of the ongoing processes characterize their high danger for vehicles moving along ice roads, for fishermen and residents of nearby villages. Obviously, anomalously large emissions of combustible gas can occur in these areas in the summer-autumn period and also create a danger for ships and their crews. The formation of ring ice phenomena on Baikal once again confirms that Baikal is a unique geological object. Baikal is still fraught with many mysteries, and it is hoped that the study of circles on the ice will present us with new amazing discoveries.
Last week, Russian scientist Alexei Kuraev made a presentation at an international scientific and practical conference on environmental safety. During his report, Kuraev put forward a hypothesis about the origin of the mysterious circles on the surface of Lake Baikal, which were first seen on satellite images at the end of the last century and whose origin is still unknown to scientists.
Alexey Kuraev works at the University of Toulouse in France, and within the framework of the international research program ERA.Net RUS plus, this year he and his colleagues are completing a study on Baikal's "well-being" in the face of abrupt climate change. “We use satellite data, radar satellite antimetry is a rather complex technology, very sensitive,” says the scientist in an interview with the Siberian Power Engineer magazine. “In addition to satellite data, we used data obtained directly on the lake in the field.”
What is this phenomenon that causes so much talk and controversy? The mysterious rings on the Baikal ice began to be noticed relatively recently - the first one was discovered by a satellite in 1999. They are too big to see them standing on the ice, so they can only be seen from the height of a satellite or aircraft. Most often, rings can be seen on spring ice. They look like dark circles with a diameter of 5-7 km and a width of about 1 km. The ice in the center and outside the ring is thicker and whiter, while in the most perfectly even circle it is darker and thinner. Rings appear quite unpredictably in different places and in different years.
Possible explanations for the origin of ice rings include a large number of hypotheses - from atmospheric action and biological activity in the upper layer of water to UFOs and hoaxes. Locals most often talk about the intervention of an "extraterrestrial civilization", while recalling the strange circles in wheat fields in the UK and other similar mysteries that ufologists love, referring to the landing of alien vehicles.
Nevertheless, among the scientific explanations, the hydrothermal activity of Lake Baikal is most often mentioned, in other words, the extremely high intensity of the release of methane gases from bottom sediments. Rising from the bottom of the lake, natural gas provokes an upward flow of water, which twists as it rises. A circular thermal current destroys the ice cover from below. The melted ice is saturated with water, and a dark ring appears on the surface of the ice.
However, the question remains: why do the circles appear randomly, and not constantly, because methane gases are formed at the bottom of the lake all year round? Scientists admit that methane emissions would not have provided the phenomenon with such strange time frames.
To answer these and other questions, scientists processed the archives satellite imagery and photographs in order to obtain as much as possible complete list ice rings and their parameters, as well as conducted field hydrological studies in the areas of their formation.
“We analyzed the archives of satellite stations, examined the visible thermal microwave range, looked at images from the space station. As a result, red circles were found where rings were found in different years, - says Alexey Kaurov. - In total, 45 rings were discovered on Baikal (previously 13 were known), and, what is most interesting, we found four rings on Khubsugul in Mongolia. Which no one knew about.
The results of studies under the ice in the region of the rings on Baikal and Khubsugul show that before and during the appearance of ice rings, warm vortices in the form of biconvex lenses form exactly under them. These eddies are the reason for the formation of ice rings in lakes, Kuraev said.
The eddies under the ice rings are characterized by a weak or moderate current in the central part and a strong current in the area of the ring, oriented to the left relative to the tangent to the eddy boundary. An increase in heat exchange between ice and water at the vortex boundary leads to a noticeable decrease in the thickness of ice compared to the center of the ring or areas outside it. Areas of thin and, as a result, darker ice are identified on satellite images as giant ice rings.
Thus, those same ice rings are a manifestation of the effect of lenticular vortices on the ice surface.
However, this raises new questions for scientists about the origin of these very vortices. It is not yet clear whether these eddies occur before the appearance of ice or during a stable freeze-up. Scientists continue to search for answers to these questions.
Lake Baikal is unique in many ways. It stores about 20% of the world's fresh lake water, and its transparency is such that you can easily see objects at a depth of 50 m. incredible phenomena that defies logical explanation. Here are the 7 most unusual mysteries of Lake Baikal that amaze the imagination:
1. Ice Hills
Baikal ice presents scientists with many mysteries. So, in the 1930s, specialists from the Baikal Limnological Station discovered unusual forms of ice cover, typical only for Lake Baikal. For example, hills are cone-shaped ice hills up to 6 meters high, hollow inside. Appearance they resemble ice tents, "open" in the opposite direction from the coast. Hills can be located separately, and sometimes form miniature "mountain ranges".
2. Baikal mirages
Local residents have come across, going out on boats to fish, more than once in their lives with realistic pictures depicting what should not have been here. The most common mirages are castles, ancient ships and islands.
Scientists explain this phenomenon simply: deep waters lakes never warm up, remaining cold even in hot summers, and the air above the surface is warm, which creates a resonance. Layers of air of different density refract the sun's rays, which is why pictures are formed. The locals call them "golomenitsa". This is a phenomenon on Baikal, in which it is possible to see objects on the horizon that are actually at a distance of 40 kilometers.
3. Damn funnel
Not only mirages appear here, but also a terrible funnel that forms spontaneously, regardless of meteorological conditions. It got its name because of the strange phenomena that occur here 1-2 times a year. IN good weather, in complete calm, a huge funnel suddenly forms here. Local residents believe that this is how the hellish gates open here, which drag the souls of sinners into the underworld.
Scientists offer several versions of the causes of the phenomenon. One of them is based on the assumption of local dips of the Baikal bottom with the formation of cavities quickly filled with water, which leads to the formation of a whirlpool on the surface. According to another theory, it is in the place where the funnel is formed that two local countercurrents collide, which move strictly towards each other. This interaction can lead to very powerful whirlpools.
4. Baikal Triangle
The anomalous zone on the lake, named by analogy with bermuda triangle. This is an area of anomalous turbulence in which all kinds of devices refuse to work. In addition, there are often very unusual phenomena in the form of emerging sparkling balls, circles and dramatically changing weather. Some of those who have been here also speak of being lost in time.
5. Huge ice rings
These huge rings several kilometers in diameter, periodically appearing on the icy surface of Lake Baikal, can only be seen from the air. According to the results of observations from space, it became known that the rings appeared only in 2003, 2005, 2008 and 2009, and each time in a new place.
Presumably, the formation of circles is associated with emissions of natural combustible gas (methane) from the many kilometers of sedimentary strata of the bottom of Lake Baikal. In summer, in such places, bubbles rise from the depths to the surface, and in winter, “steams” form from half a meter to hundreds of meters in diameter, where the ice is very thin or completely absent.
6. Witch circles on Olkhon
According to beliefs local residents, ideally even circles of grass, periodically appearing on one of the islands of Baikal, appear here because of the round dances of witches. Ufologists, on the other hand, believe that the rings, reaching several tens of meters in diameter, arise as a result of the landing of aliens.
Circles appear by themselves in fields that have never known arable land. There are no signs of trampling, on the contrary: a strip of more juicy and tall grass appears along the border of a perfectly even circle - it is especially clearly visible on usually dry plots of land. Researchers have so far determined that the intense growth of plants in the rings is not related to the characteristics of the soil or underground water sources.
7. Glowing water
The glow of Baikal water was discovered by Viktor Dobrynin, a leading researcher at the Irkutsk Institute of Physics and Technology, back in 1982. Studies show that almost any water is a source of light. But, for example, distilled glows weakly. The one from the faucet fades quickly. And the most intense glow is in Baikal. Here it can last for a month.
Highly sensitive devices are used to catch light fluxes invisible to the eye. Studies have also shown that the glow of the waters is heterogeneous and loses intensity at depth, and its brightness decreases from November to mid-January.
Scientists on satellite images of Lake Baikal found dark rings with a diameter of five to seven kilometers on the ice. The reason for the appearance of the rings is still unknown, according to a message on the website of the ScanEx company, which specializes in working with satellite photographs of the Earth.
“Rings on the ice for Baikal are probably not a new phenomenon. But due to their significant size, it is almost impossible to see them from the ice and even from the mountain ranges surrounding the lake basin,” the report says. Therefore, ring formations began to be discovered when, by order of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation, daily space monitoring of the Baikal natural territory began.
According to observations, ring structures on the Baikal ice do not form every year: after the first discovery in 1999, similar forms were detected in April 2003 and 2005. However, in 2004, 2006 and 2007 such phenomena were not recorded. In 2008, the rings appeared in two areas of the lake's water area: in the area of Cape Krestovsky (with some shift to the southwest from the location of the ring in 1999, 2003 and 2005) and for the first time - in the area of the village of Turka. In April 2009, mysterious forms were discovered to the west of Cape Nizhneye Izgolovye of the Svyatoy Nos Peninsula and at the southern tip of Lake Baikal.
The causes and mechanism of the formation of ring ice phenomena are not currently studied in detail. Experts suggest that the formation of rings is associated with natural gas emissions from the sedimentary strata of the bottom of Lake Baikal.
In geological terms, Lake Baikal is a graben lake, a section of the earth's crust bounded by steeply inclined faults, confined to the rift zone. Rifts are characterized by increased heat flow and seismic activity. Elevated temperature leads to intense gas formation. Outflows of natural gas from the bottom of the lake in summer are observed due to bubbles rising to the surface and the formation of "proparins" from half a meter to hundreds of meters in diameter in winter.
"But the giant dark rings on the ice of Lake Baikal are anomalously large sizes. It is likely that such emissions are associated with seismic activity and tectonic movements in the Baikal rift system," the specialists of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Rosgeolfond believe, whose words are quoted in the message.
There is an opinion that to explain mysterious phenomenon it is necessary to consider the system of a point source of heat at the bottom of the lake. In this case, the "emissions" of the heat source, rising up, are able to take an annular shape. According to other versions, in order to identify the causes, it is important to consider the influence of atmospheric and biogenic processes and phenomena.
